Are the medical bills piling up? Are you uncertain when you'll be able to return to work in order to pay your medical bills? These types of questions that come after an accident and injury are frustrating, overwhelming, and only add to the stress of everything else. Impact Legal exists to help you through this tough time – we'll work to get you the financial and mental recovery you need to get your life back on track.
We know finances are a big topic on your mind as you continue to look at the next steps after an injury. In this article, we'll detail how to calculate personal injury settlements. If after reading this blog you still have questions, or if you're ready to talk to an accident lawyer in Arizona, text or call us today at (602) 345-1818. You can also fill out this online contact form to request a free consultation where we will review the facts of your case to determine what your legal options are.
What Goes into My Injury Settlement Calculation?
There are two main types of damages available to you after you've been hurt in an accident due to someone else's negligence or intentional harm: economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are the monetary costs associated with your injury and accident. Becuase these costs are monetary, they are easier to assign a numeric value. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are not as simple to assign a value to because they are more subjective, including things like pain and suffering and emotional trauma.
Your accident lawyer can help you assign monetary values to both types of damages so you can calculate the appropriate settlement for you.
Calculating Economic Damages in Arizona
Economic damages include things that are easy to put into monetary terms, like medical bills and property damage. Calculating these types of damages is done by simply adding up the expenses incurred to you as a result of your injuries and accident. Some examples of economic damages available to you in a personal injury case are:
- Property damage
- Medical bills (past, current, and future)
- Rehabilitation costs
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Physical therapy expenses
- Household services while you are recovering from your injury, like home-cleaning services
- Caregiving expenses
Calculating Non-Economic Damages in Arizona
Non-economic damages are less straightforward, as these damages include things like mental anguish. To quantify non-economic rewards, a multiplier will be used. In most personal injury cases, the multiplier will be between 1.5 and 5. After all economic damages are determined, the sum will be multiplied by this assigned multiplier value. Depending on the facts of your case, the multiplier may even exceed 5. In these cases, several things align to increase the multiplier, like the severity of the plaintiff's injuries, the obvious fault of the defendant, prolonged recovery, permanent consequences of the injury (chronic pain, immobility, etc), and your physician must sign off on the existence of your future difficulties.
Some examples of non-economic damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Severe physical pain
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of consortium
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Loss of society and companionship
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Can Anything Adjust My Calculation?
Depending on your level of liability in the accident, your settlement could be reduced. In Arizona, comparative negligence is used. This allows a plaintiff to recover a legal remedy, even if he or she was partially liable for the accident. For example, if it is determined that your reward is $100,000 and that you were 20 percent at fault for the accident, you will be eligible to receive $80,000 in damages.
Hire an Arizona Accident Lawyer
Many things in your personal injury case will be a point of contention with the other party's insurance company, including the amount you're entitled to, the percentage of liability you hold, the multiplier used to calculate non-economic damages, etc. Personal injury cases can be complex, so having an attorney on your side to help you fight for a legal remedy that works for you and negotiate with the insurance company is advisable. That's where our accident lawyers at Impact Legal come in – we'll fight to protect your rights after an accident. Give us a call or text at (602) 345-1818, or fill out our convenient online form. We'll schedule a free consultation to review the facts of your case and advise you on recommended next steps in your personal injury case.
We handle a variety of personal injury cases in Arizona, including:
- Car Accidents
- Semi-Truck Accidents
- ATV Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Boating Accidents
- Dog Bites
- Bus collisions
- Bad Faith Insurance
- And More